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160km Grid Line To Supply Power From Pyra Coal-Fired Plant

FHM Humayan Kabir

The government will install a 160-kilometre 400-kilovolt (kv) high-voltage power grid from Patuakhali to Gopalganj for carrying electricity from the proposed 1,320-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant, officials said.

Power Division officials said the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) has already undertaken the project to construct the power grid for supplying uninterrupted electricity from the upcoming 1320MW thermal power plant at Pyra.

The PGCB has taken up the project at a cost of Tk 33.23 billion. “We have sent the project proposal to the Planning Commission (PC) for getting its approval. Soon after getting its endorsement, the PGCB will start setting up of the 160kv high-voltage power plant,” said a Power Division official.

He said since Patuakhali area including the Pyra seaport is going to be another energy hub of Bangladesh after Matarbari, the high-voltage power transmission line is essential.

According to the PGCB, the government will bear the lion’s share of the project cost while the Asian Development Bank would provide some funds too.

The ADB has proposed to provide Tk 3.45 billion, the government Tk 27.52 billion and the PGCB the rest Tk 2.22 billion from its own exchequer.

A PGCB official said they would implement the power grid project during the period from June 2017 to December 2019.

Bangladesh has invested a lot of money for power generation over the years. However, its electricity transmission and distribution systems are still in shambles as most of the lines are old and are of low capacity.

The Power Division official said the reasons behind the ongoing low voltage, low quality, and interrupted supply of electricity are the weak transmission and distribution systems.

A PC official said they are now scrutinising the 400kv power transmission line construction project before placing it to the government’s economic policy-making body Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.

Meanwhile, the PGCB has already installed a couple of 400 high-voltage power transmission lines including the Indo-Bangladesh cross-border transmission line. At least three other projects for setting up the grid are also going on now.

A senior Power Division official said the government has a plan to replace the major power grid of the country with the 400kv high-voltage line gradually to ensure smooth and quality power supply to the consumers.

“Some of the high-voltage power plants will also be installed to connect cross-border and regional energy transmission line,” he told.

Bangladesh has plans to import hydro-power from Nepal and Bhutan and electricity from different parts of India